Michigan

Former major league baseball player Chad Curtis, left, and attorney Mark Dodge appear in Barry County Circuit Court in Hastings, Mich. Tuesday, August 13, 2013. Curtis's trial on criminal sexual conduct charges is in the second day of testimony.
(Chris Clark | MLive.com)

Throughout the week-long trial, the courtroom was filled with people interested in the case.

"We give these young ladies so much credit for their courage," Barry County Prosecutor Julie Nakfoor-Pratt said. "It took a lot of courage to testify."

She said the victims - all 15 or 16 when the assaults happened - were pleased with the outcome of the trial.

"This has been such a long road for them," she said. "This is a step in the healing process for them."

Curtis was accused of inappropriately touching two 15-year-old girls, the last time in April 2012, when he was a volunteer weight-room strength trainer and substitute teacher for Lakewood Schools near Lake Odessa.

The teens accused him of touching their buttocks in a sexual manner.

After those allegations surfaced, a 16-year-old girl came forward to say that Curtis touched her private areas and had fondled and kissed her breasts in August 2011.

Chad Curtis, left, and attorney Mark Dodge appear in Barry County Circuit Court in Hastings, Mich. Tuesday, August 13, 2013. Curtis's trial on criminal sexual conduct charges is in the second day of testimony.Chris Clark | MLive.com

Curtis' baseball career started in 1992 with the Los Angeles Angels, but he played for the Detroit Tigers in 1995 and 1996. He later played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Cleveland Indians, the New York Yankees and finally the Texas Rangers before his playing days ended in 2001.

With the Yankees, he played in the 1999 World Series and hit two home runs in Game 3.

He was scheduled to become the head football coach at Lakewood Schools in fall 2012, but resigned that would-be appointment when the allegations came to light.